Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
, tentatively titled Super Smash Bros. is a fighting game for the Nintendo Switch, released worldwide on December 7, 2018. A surprise announcement at the end of the March 8th, 2018 Nintendo Direct, it is the fifth installment in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series. The game was released in December 2018, a little more than four years after its predecessors, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. It features the return of every character that has ever been playable in the series, including Samus and Zero Suit Samus, as well as fighters cut in subsequent installments such as Pichu, Young Link, the Ice Climbers, and Snake. It also features Ridley and Dark Samus as playable characters for the first time in the series' history, following years of fan requests dating back to Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl. ''Metroid'' content Samus and Zero Suit Samus both still resemble their appearances in Metroid: Other M, albeit with modifications. Samus's Charge Shot can now be charged and cancelled in midair, while Zero Suit Samus's Final Smash still involves the Gunship, but she now stands atop it in her Power Suit and fires the Zero Laser. The Metroid and Mother Brain Assist Trophies return, as do the Brinstar, Brinstar Depths, Norfair and Frigate Orpheon stages. This marks the return of Brinstar Depths after a seventeen year absence. Given Ridley's playability, the Pyrosphere stage does not return. A brand new metal remix of Brinstar Depths, arranged by Yasushi Asada, was one of three tracks revealed on the game's website on June 12, 2018. The previous Melee version is still present, but a new remix of Vs. Parasite Queen has replaced the original version from Metroid Prime. Newly introduced songs include Main Theme (from Metroid Prime: Federation Force) and Magmoor Caverns (from Metroid: Samus Returns), both confirmed in the August 8, 2018 Direct, as well as Boss Battle 4 and End Results from Samus Returns. This brings the total number of Metroid series music tracks to 25. With the exception of the original Vs. Parasite Queen, all Metroid songs featured in previous Super Smash Bros. games return in Ultimate, marking the first time Planet Zebes Stage has been featured since the first game. All amiibo released for the fighters with the previous game will be compatible with Ultimate as well. Additionally, new fighters (including Ridley and Dark Samus) will receive amiibo, with Ridley's coming on the same day as the game's release. Characters Bolded characters are newcomers. The game will feature fewer newcomers than its predecessors, due to the inclusion of all 65 veteran fighters in the history of the series. The game also introduces the term "Echo Fighters", previously fan-dubbed "clones", which refers to fighters whose movesets have been copied from another fighter. These fighters are marked with an epsilon (ε) symbol. With the introduction of Ridley and Dark Samus, Ultimate has the most Metroid characters out of any game in the Super Smash Bros. series. Five DLC packs, each coming with a new character, were announced as going into development between the game's release date and February 2020. The first five confirmed characters were Joker from Persona 5, the Hero from Dragon Quest, Banjo and Kazooie from the series of the same name, Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury and Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. None of these would be Echo Fighters, and Piranha Plant is a sixth downloadable character who was released before the Fighter Pass characters. It was announced during the Nintendo Direct on September 4, 2019 that more fighters are in development. On January 16, 2020, it was confirmed that six more fighters would be released as part of a second Fighter Pass by January 31, 2021. *Mario (Super Mario Bros.) *Bowser (Super Mario Bros.) *Luigi (Super Mario Bros.) *Peach (Super Mario Bros.) *Rosalina & Luma (Super Mario Bros.) *Bowser Jr. (Super Mario Bros.) *Dr. Mario (Super Mario Bros.) *'Daisyε' (Super Mario Bros., Echo of Peach) *'Piranha Plant' (Super Mario Bros., DLC) *Link (The Legend of Zelda) *Zelda (The Legend of Zelda) *Sheik (The Legend of Zelda) *Ganondorf (The Legend of Zelda) *Toon Link (The Legend of Zelda) *Young Link (The Legend of Zelda, returning after being cut from Super Smash Bros. Brawl) *Samus (Metroid) *'Dark Samusε' (Metroid; Echo of Samus) *Zero Suit Samus (Metroid) *'Ridley' (Metroid) *Kirby (Kirby) *King Dedede (Kirby) *Meta Knight (Kirby) *Fox (Star Fox) *Falco (Star Fox) *Wolf (Star Fox, returning after being cut from Super Smash Bros. 4) *Ness (EarthBound) *Lucas (EarthBound) *Captain Falcon (F-Zero) *Pit (Kid Icarus) *Palutena (Kid Icarus) *Dark Pitε''' (Kid Icarus; Echo of Pit) *Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong) *Diddy Kong (Donkey Kong) *King K. Rool' (''Donkey Kong) *Marth (Fire Emblem) *Ike (Fire Emblem) *Lucinaε''' (Fire Emblem; Echo of Marth) *Robin (Fire Emblem) *Roy (Fire Emblem) *Corrin (Fire Emblem) *Chromε''' (Fire Emblem; Echo of Roy) *Pikachu (Pokémon) *Jigglypuff (Pokémon) *Lucario (Pokémon) *Mewtwo (Pokémon) *Pokémon Trainer (Pokémon, returning after being cut from Super Smash Bros. 4) :*Squirtle :*Ivysaur :*Charizard *Pichu (Pokémon, returning after being cut from Super Smash Bros. Brawl) *Greninja (Pokémon) *'Incineroar' (Pokémon) *Olimar (Pikmin) *Little Mac (Punch-Out!!) *Villager (Animal Crossing) *'Isabelle' (Animal Crossing) *Mega Man (Mega Man) *Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog) *Mii Fighters (Wii) :*Mii Gunner :*Mii Swordfighter :*Mii Brawler *Wii Fit Trainer (Wii Fit) *R.O.B. (R.O.B.) *Mr. Game & Watch (Game & Watch) *Ice Climbers (Ice Climber, returning after being cut from Super Smash Bros. 4) *Duck Hunt (Duck Hunt) *Yoshi (Yoshi) *Wario (WarioWare) *Pac-Man (Pac-Man) *Shulk (Xenoblade) *Ryu (Street Fighter) *'Kenε' (Street Fighter, Echo of Ryu) *Cloud (Final Fantasy) *Bayonetta (Bayonetta) *Snake (Metal Gear Solid; returning after being cut from Super Smash Bros. 4) *'Inkling' (Splatoon) *'Simon' (Castlevania) *'Richterε' (Castlevania; Echo of Simon) *'Joker' (Persona, DLC) *'Hero' (Dragon Quest, DLC) *'Banjo & Kazooie' (Banjo-Kazooie, DLC) *'Terry' (Fatal Fury, DLC) *'Byleth' (Fire Emblem, DLC) The ending of the original trailer depicted the Smash Bros. symbol formed out of fire in midair, with a number of silhouetted characters at its base. The Inkling was seen gazing at these characters. Mario and Link, using his appearance from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, were prominently displayed. Samus's shoulders, Bowser's horns and hair, and Donkey Kong's hair were clearly visible, but the other characters were less clear. Spirits and Mecha Ridley Spirits on the Ultimate website]] The new Spirits mode enables "Spirit" assist characters to be assigned to a specific character. They tie into a new adventure mode titled World of Light, in which every fighter except Kirby has been turned into a Puppet Fighter, possessed by the Spirit of a non-playable character. Spirits can be earned by defeating Puppet Fighters who are relevant to a specific Spirit in some way; for example, Shantae (a female ponytailed character in a racy outfit, from a series in the Metroidvania genre) is unlocked by fighting Zero Suit Samus in her orange Ending Outfit alternate costume. The following Metroid Spirits are included in Ultimate, with artwork taken from their respective games: *Adam Malkovich (Metroid: Other M) *Chozo Statue (Metroid II: Return of Samus) *Dark Samus (Metroid Prime 2: Echoes) *Dark Suit (Metroid Prime 2: Echoes) *Diggernaut (Metroid: Samus Returns) *Fusion Suit (Metroid Fusion) *Gandrayda (Metroid Prime 3: Corruption) *Geemer (Metroid: Zero Mission) *Gravity Suit (Metroid Prime) *Gunship (Super Metroid) *Kanden (Metroid Prime Hunters) *Kraid (Super Metroid) *Light Suit (Metroid Prime 2: Echoes) *Little Birdie (Metroid: Other M) *Mech (Metroid Prime: Federation Force) *Mecha Ridley (Metroid: Zero Mission) *Meta Ridley (Metroid Prime) *Metroid (Metroid: Samus Returns) *Mother Brain (Metroid: Zero Mission) *Mother Brain (2nd Form) (Super Metroid) *Nightmare (Metroid: Other M) *Omega Ridley (Metroid Prime 3: Corruption) *Parasite Queen (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) *Phantoon (Super Metroid) *Phazon Suit (Metroid Prime) *Queen Metroid (Metroid II: Return of Samus) *Ridley (Metroid: Zero Mission) *Samus (Metroid: Samus Returns) *Trace (Metroid Prime Hunters) *X Parasite (Metroid Fusion) *Young Samus (Metroid: Other M) *Zebesian (Super Metroid) *Zero Suit Samus (Metroid: Other M) Allusions to the Metroid series artwork, including Samus and Ridley.]] *The zoom-in on Samus's eyes in a panicked state when knocked off her feet when Ridley ambushes her in the beginning of A Piercing Screech, Ridley's debut trailer, may have been a reference to Samus's posttraumatic stress disorder episode from encountering Ridley in the ''Metroid'' manga, or his clone in Metroid: Other M. **The overall scene, such as Ridley's reflection appearing on Samus's visor, as well as his entrance animation and the timing where Vs. Ridley starts up, also resembles his pre-battle entrance cutscene in Metroid: Zero Mission. **In the same scene, Ridley is shown twirling Mario's hat and giving a dirty grin, alluding to how the Metroid manga expanded his characterization to give him a very dark sense of humor. **During the gameplay aspects of the trailer, Ridley is seen getting absorbed by a Metroid Assist Trophy that was presumably sent out by Pikachu, which most likely referenced how the Baby saved Samus by absorbing some of Ridley's energy in Metroid: Samus Returns, and to a lesser extent how Ridley's clone was ambushed by the Queen Metroid in Metroid: Other M. Coincidentally, Pikachu also saved Samus from Ridley in a similar manner in Brawl during the Subspace Emissiary story mode. In addition, the beginning of the gameplay aspect has Ridley landing and then roaring while flapping his wings, which was similar to both his intro in both of his fights in Super Metroid and Neo-Ridley's intro in Metroid Fusion. **How Ridley dispatched of Mario by crushing his head resembled how Samus, in her PTSD episode upon seeing Ridley for the first time, hallucinated her parents heads being crushed by him. **His impaling Mega Man with his tail resembled how he mortally wounded Grey Voice in the manga. *Ridley's Plasma Breath resembles the wave-based fire attacks Ridley used in the original Metroid. *Ridley's Space Pirate Rush resembles one of his attacks in Metroid: Other M where he grabs Samus, slams her against a wall, and then drags her across it, which was in turn based on a maneuver Ridley pulled on Samus when ambushing her in Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary. *His Skewer, in particular the impalement portion of it, resembles how he mortally wounded Grey Voice in the manga. *When undergoing his final smash, Plasma Scream, Ridley's pose when entering the final smash and later when actually using it resembles his pose on the Super Metroid box art. **The energy beam portion of the attack resembles both the Kinetic Breath Weapon attack he used as Meta Ridley in Metroid Prime, as well as a similar beam attack that he utilized in two different instances in the Magazine Z prequel manga (the first just before Ridley's ship fell on top of him, and the second when finishing off Grey Voice). *Samus's pose in her artwork for Ultimate matches her stance in a promotional render for Other M with Anthony Higgs. *Dark Samus's debut trailer had a few allusions to the Prime series: **Dark Samus's entry had her emerging from a blue wormhole in darkness before the darkness fades away, which refers to her resurrection in the 100% ending of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, her appearance in the beginning of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and her use of Leviathans in the same game. **Dark Samus stands near a Metroid, an indirect allusion to how she was formerly Metroid Prime. **Dark Samus at one point appears alongside Ridley and Assist Trophies of Mother Brain and a Metroid, which alluded to how she had controlled Metroids, Meta Ridley/Omega Ridley, and Aurora Unit 313 (who is similar to Mother Brain in appearance). **Samus briefly is seen fighting both Meta Ridley and Dark Samus at one point. *One of Dark Samus's victory poses alluded to her creation of Dark Echoes in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. **In addition, the same pose also had her adopting Samus's pose in her stock art for the game (see above). **Another of Dark Samus's victory poses referenced the SA-X's debut scene in Metroid Fusion. *Due to Dark Samus becoming a fighter in her own right, Samus's alternate costume based on her has been removed from Ultimate, and replaced with a black and yellow color scheme resembling a Power Trooper. *Dark Samus being the puppet fighter housing Mother Brain's spirit in World of Light is most likely a reference to her possession of Aurora Unit 313. Trivia *''Ultimate'' is the first Super Smash Bros. game since the original Nintendo 64 title to not have collectible Trophies. **It is also the first Super Smash Bros. game since the original N64 title to have only one type of mode congratulations screen per character accessible (via Classic Mode), not counting World of Light. *This is the first Super Smash Bros. game since the original Super Smash Bros to feature hand-drawn artwork on the box art. *This is the first Super Smash Bros. game to not feature the involvement of Satoru Iwata, as he passed away on July 2015. *This is the first Super Smash Bros. game to have no veteran characters cut since Melee. *This is the first Super Smash Bros. game have both the English announcer and voice actor of Master Hand and Crazy Hand unchanged, with Xander Mobus reprising his role from Super Smash Bros 4. '' *This is the first ''Super Smash Bros. game to have a lyricized theme song in both English and Japanese. *This is the first Super Smash Bros. ''game to be released in the same year it was announced since ''Melee. Gallery File:Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch.svg|Pre-release logo. File:SSB Ultimate title.png|E3 2018 logo. File:SSB Switch.png|The Inklings gazing at the Smash symbol; Samus's shoulders can be seen amongst the silhouettes. File:Super Smash Bros. Ultimate splash.png File:SSB Ultimate character splash.png|Panoramic artwork File:SSBU Panoramic artwork with Aug. 8 Direct chars.jpg|The panoramic artwork, updated after the August 8 Nintendo Direct to include Dark Samus, Simon, Richter, King K. Rool and Chrom. SSBU Panoramic with Sept. 13 Direct characters.png|The panoramic artwork, updated after the September 13 Nintendo Direct to include Isabelle. SSBU Panoramic with Ken and Incineroar.png|The panoramic artwork, updated after the November 1 Nintendo Direct to include Ken and Incineroar. SSBU Inkling character poster.jpg|Inkling character poster. File:SSB Ultimate Samus closeup.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Samus run away.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Samus grapple beam.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Samus vs Mother Brain.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Samus charge beam.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Samus gravity suit.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Zero Suit Samus closeup.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Zero Suit Samus down tilt.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Zero Suit Samus in Frigate Orpheon.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Zero Suit Samus with her suit.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Zero Suit Samus with Snake.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Zero Suit Samus vs Sheik.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Ridley fireball charging.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Ridley jumping.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Ridley up special.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Ridley hammertime.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Ridley down special.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Ridley vs Samus.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Dark Samus 'Hadouken'.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Dark Samus cannon glint.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Dark Samus Grapple Beam.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Dark Samus Flame Thrower.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Dark Samus jump.jpg File:SSB Ultimate Dark Samus crouch.jpg File:Super Smash Bros. Ultimate E3 2018 char select.png|The character selection screen at E3 2018; Samus and Ridley are playable. SSB Ultimate Samus inked.jpg SSB Ultimate Samus decked by Bayonetta.jpg SSB Ultimate Samus gets Shulked.jpg SSB Ultimate Samus vs Palutena.jpg SSB Ultimate Samus watches Lucario.jpg SSB Ultimate Ridley has Marth barbecue.jpg SSB Ultimate Ice Climbers freezing Metroid.jpg Super Smash Bros. Ultimate PAX banner.png|PAX West 2018 banner. SSBU hardware bundle.png|Switch hardware bundle, which comes with a download code and special controller. File:More Fighters, More Battles, More Fun - Samus running.png|"More Fighters, More Battles, More Fun" commercial File:More Fighters, More Battles, More Fun - Samus dodging.png File:More Fighters, More Battles, More Fun - Ridley fighting Pit.png File:More Fighters, More Battles, More Fun - ZSS about to fight.png File:More Fighters, More Battles, More Fun - ZSS jumping.png SSBU macarons.jpg|Cake and macarons made for Masahiro Sakurai's 49th birthday. A pink one with the Screw Attack is present beside the giant Smash symbol.Sakurai, Masahiro (Sora_Sakurai). "『スマブラSP』スタッフから、誕生日を祝ってもらいました。なんと、シリーズマークのマカロンが揃ったケーキ！私は、『ドラクエ』マークをいただきました。ありがたいことです。" (Translation: "The staff of Smash Ultimate celebrated my birthday with this cake. They even had macaron with the various Smash series emblems on them! I ate the one with the Dragon Quest emblem on it. Thank you (for the cake!)") Aug 5, 2019 1:25 a.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/1158247648723230720 SSBU Heroes VS Villains.jpg|Heroes Vs. Villains tourney artwork SSBU Original Class of 64.jpg|Original Class of '64 tourney artwork References Category:Games Category:Nintendo Switch Category:Super Smash Bros.